@Tracey that’s very true I dated a guy who’s church had banned it for witchcraft his mom wouldn’t let him read it or watch the movies it was so sad needless to say I sat down and had him watch all the movies
To Kill a Mockingbird; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; The Catcher in the Rye; The Color Purple; 1984; Catch-22; Slaughterhouse Five; The Kite Runner….and many more!
I was literally disowned by my sister in law 14 some odd years ago because I would not go to a book burning (da Vinci code) still makes me shake my head and laugh…knowing I made the right choice (what kind of monster burns books!?) as I hug my paperback closer and whisper…”it’s okay she’s gone now!” ?
@Michelle ikr?! I can’t stand the Twilight books, but I’d never burn them. Maybe use em as a doorstop or to balance out a wobbly table, but never burning.
Banned? Did the school system banned Harry Potter? Government? Which country? J k Rowling is responsible for having thousands and thousands people reading all over the world. Why would someone ban it?
Carlos Sousa many years ago, this man that worked with my husband started arguing with me when he found out that we liked the Harry Potter books and the movies and lecturing me. I tried explaining that I do believe in God and would never practice witchcraft, and that I was a Christian, and that the Witchcraft in the book is not real anyway. Then, just a few years ago, I was talking about Harry Potter on my Facebook page, this lady I’ve known all my life calls me out on my Facebook page telling me how sinful Harry Potter is and that it’s of the devil. I private messaged her and I told her I did not appreciate her telling me that on my public Facebook page, and that she should know me better than that. I also told her I bet you’ve never read the books so you have no clue what’s inside it. I was right! I also reminded her that my stepfather who was a elder in her church loved the books too. So I said do you think he’s sinful and into the devil?
@Donna ohh my God. Where was that? In the US? I know a lot of people who dont like Harry Potter, but we are friends. Some of them loved 50 Shades but I didnt… That is no reason for banning a book. We don’t have that problem in Portugal. What is wrong with people? Cant they understand Harry Potter books are fiction?
Yes, in the U. S. Those two arguments happened to me in Oklahoma. Sad to say a lot of Okies act like that. But it has happened everywhere in America. These people usually don’t read the books before coming to such stupid conclusions. There are people who think Harry Potter is of the occult and sinful paganism. It was awful for a long time the number of Harry Potter book burnings and banning. I agree with you, I think book burning is a heinous crime
Other than HP, I would also say Animal Farm. That’s one that’s been banned in various parts of the world at times. Not here in the UK, though. It was actually one of my set books for GCSE English Literature when I was at high school!
There have been many banned books in the UK’s history, for instance, anything openly written by a woman pre 1640 xD (and certainly a huge number after that!) But nothing within the last 30 years! 🙂 Which makes me feel very lucky, being 28 xD
?? oh young children who never knew Harry Potter was banned. This was the story of my whole childhood. I had to sneak behind my conservative parents backs to read it and they wouldn’t even put it in our school library until I was in highschool.
Because of the magic. I worked at a Christian school library in Australia and HP wasn’t allowed in there. Nor were any books with relationships outside marriage, (90% of teen fiction) making this a very difficult area to choose new books.
Yeah, but you can’t get away from Christian idolatry where I live. I was just trying to point out it was more pervasive than just having it banned from Christian schools.
I am disappointed with my country for many reasons recently, (the UK) but i feel quite proud of the fact that i’d never heard of a “banned book” until today!! Reading causes people to think, and apparently a lot of governments want to keep their people “thoughtless”… The UK is far from perfect, and certainly worse than a lot of places in many ways, but on this subject, i feel very fortunate 🙂
Tried to encourage my partner to read it. He’s Belgian and not a native English speaker… He thought it was another language haha. I completely forgot how it was written! Beautiful book <3
@Elly it is in my top 3 most beloved books ?I read it at least once a year.
Have you and he watched the movie? It’s another favorite of mine, and though not a perfect version of the novel, I feel it captures the way the book made me feel ❤
My parents wouldn’t let me read it when I was a kid. I think it was largely due to simply not knowing what the books were really about. They wanted to protect us from evil magic etc. It never really bothered me. They chose to raise us with the best belief system they knew and some times that meant they were over protective of stuff that was very mainstream. Years later when I did read it and explained the plot to my mom, she said had they actually sat down and read them themselves, we probably would have been allowed to read HP. I’m happy with the way it turned out though…I got to binge read the whole series for the first time in a couple of weeks. No waiting for books to be released ?
I think banned books are the ones that NEED to be read. Just an aside, when my kids were younger, I read all the books they were reading and if I didn’t like a book, we would discuss it and debate the good and the bad in the book. It worked out well in our house
HP was banned in the school libraries in some US states that are overtly ‘christian’ (read: hypocritical) because it glamorized witchcraft and ‘black’ magic therefore corrupting the morals of ‘christian’ children. These are probably the same states that insist that gun laws are never restricted and believe that Trump is a great man!
@Maria LOL! I can’t believe it!? There are more important things to be banned for the good of all of us,than to ban a interesting book… ? just saying.. Crazy world I guess..?
Lady Chatterly’s Lover – not because it is an especially great book but because at the time it was banned it was considered so incredibly immoral that anyone who read it would instantly become some sort of mindless, dribbling sex-maniac. Compare it nowadays to your average Mills and Boon sexy romance and the sex scenes are almost boring. What was considered so terrible at the time was that there was a scene in which Lady Chatterly did it ‘doggy style’ with the gardener and that was considered perverted.
All mine are mentioned above, but Ferenheit 451 has to be my favorite. It has to do with burning and banning books. And we’re headed into that abysmal practice again. History does indeed repeat itself.
Harry Potter too
I never knew HP was banned. WHAAAAT???
Banned??? From where? Harry Potter is very popular where I am from and I don’t think it’s banned anywhere here.
It was banned with many churches.
Harry Potter is wizards and witches… It HAS to be banned in any number of religious organizations.
How ignorant. No offense to anyone. But damn
@Tracey that’s very true I dated a guy who’s church had banned it for witchcraft his mom wouldn’t let him read it or watch the movies it was so sad needless to say I sat down and had him watch all the movies
Oh yeah! That’s right!!! I remember when the books first came out the churches banned them!!
To Kill a Mockingbird; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; The Catcher in the Rye; The Color Purple; 1984; Catch-22; Slaughterhouse Five; The Kite Runner….and many more!
There’s so many to choose from!
Master and Margarita by M. Bulgakov, the Animal Farm
To Kill A Mockingbird
I was literally disowned by my sister in law 14 some odd years ago because I would not go to a book burning (da Vinci code) still makes me shake my head and laugh…knowing I made the right choice (what kind of monster burns books!?) as I hug my paperback closer and whisper…”it’s okay she’s gone now!” ?
Michelle Phoenix Gilliland I think book burnings are awful and yes, heinous.
@Michelle ikr?! I can’t stand the Twilight books, but I’d never burn them. Maybe use em as a doorstop or to balance out a wobbly table, but never burning.
Peyton place
Catcher I’m the rye
The grapes of wrath
Aside from Harry Potter, A Clockwork Orange
“To Kill A Mockingbird” — timely, too.
The giving tree
@Sarah why was this banned??
@Jeanna it is considered sexist. The tree is thought to be female..he keeps taking without giving to her in return.
“To Kill a Mockingbird”
Banned? Did the school system banned Harry Potter? Government? Which country? J k Rowling is responsible for having thousands and thousands people reading all over the world. Why would someone ban it?
Carlos Sousa many years ago, this man that worked with my husband started arguing with me when he found out that we liked the Harry Potter books and the movies and lecturing me. I tried explaining that I do believe in God and would never practice witchcraft, and that I was a Christian, and that the Witchcraft in the book is not real anyway. Then, just a few years ago, I was talking about Harry Potter on my Facebook page, this lady I’ve known all my life calls me out on my Facebook page telling me how sinful Harry Potter is and that it’s of the devil. I private messaged her and I told her I did not appreciate her telling me that on my public Facebook page, and that she should know me better than that. I also told her I bet you’ve never read the books so you have no clue what’s inside it. I was right! I also reminded her that my stepfather who was a elder in her church loved the books too. So I said do you think he’s sinful and into the devil?
@Donna ohh my God. Where was that? In the US? I know a lot of people who dont like Harry Potter, but we are friends. Some of them loved 50 Shades but I didnt… That is no reason for banning a book. We don’t have that problem in Portugal. What is wrong with people? Cant they understand Harry Potter books are fiction?
Yes, in the U. S. Those two arguments happened to me in Oklahoma. Sad to say a lot of Okies act like that. But it has happened everywhere in America. These people usually don’t read the books before coming to such stupid conclusions. There are people who think Harry Potter is of the occult and sinful paganism. It was awful for a long time the number of Harry Potter book burnings and banning. I agree with you, I think book burning is a heinous crime
So sad. I got used to see the us as the land of freedom. Guess not anymore.
@Carlos Sadly, it seems that is becoming more and more the way
Didn’t A Wrinkle in Time and Bridge to Terebithia get banned? If I am right, those are two favorites along with Harry Potter
Other than HP, I would also say Animal Farm. That’s one that’s been banned in various parts of the world at times. Not here in the UK, though. It was actually one of my set books for GCSE English Literature when I was at high school!
The UK has no banned books 🙂 I did Animal Farm and 1984 for my GCSE English Literature, and this apparently shocked my cousin who lives in the US xD.
@Elly The only book I ever recall being banned here was one called Spycatcher in around 1987, but I expect it was allowed once the fuss had died down!
There have been many banned books in the UK’s history, for instance, anything openly written by a woman pre 1640 xD (and certainly a huge number after that!)
But nothing within the last 30 years! 🙂 Which makes me feel very lucky, being 28 xD
There are books banned in the UK. HP was banned all around the world from religious groups.
@Joanne Why was that banned? I have never read it or heard of it.
The Hate U Give has been banned in some Texas school districts… That’s a good one. I love all of the ones already mentioned too
?? oh young children who never knew Harry Potter was banned. This was the story of my whole childhood. I had to sneak behind my conservative parents backs to read it and they wouldn’t even put it in our school library until I was in highschool.
The Kite Runner, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird. I didn’t know they were banned books when I read them.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian
Or
The Catcher in the Rye
@Savannah I read the first one you mentioned this summer. It was really good. I had no idea they banned it.
@Donna I read it for school, some schools have banned it because if the sexual material it contains.
Ohhh
@Donna Our teacher wanted us to skip that part, but being an avid reader, I wanted to read it in its entirety…
Harry Potter is a banned book? Where?
Christian school in extreme USA.
(because it preaches devil worship or some nonsense)
Not just Christian schools. Whole school districts throughout the Midwest banned it.
Because of the magic. I worked at a Christian school library in Australia and HP wasn’t allowed in there. Nor were any books with relationships outside marriage, (90% of teen fiction) making this a very difficult area to choose new books.
It will have been for religious reasons though, right?
Yeah, but you can’t get away from Christian idolatry where I live. I was just trying to point out it was more pervasive than just having it banned from Christian schools.
Oh dear, i’m so sorry. Over the pond here in the UK, it’s alien to think about how much the church controls the US. Bit scary, really!
I am disappointed with my country for many reasons recently, (the UK) but i feel quite proud of the fact that i’d never heard of a “banned book” until today!! Reading causes people to think, and apparently a lot of governments want to keep their people “thoughtless”…
The UK is far from perfect, and certainly worse than a lot of places in many ways, but on this subject, i feel very fortunate 🙂
It’s more banned in schools here in the USA—but yeah
@Elly Yep, you should definitely consider yourself lucky.
Fahrenheit 451… Ironic huh?
The Color Purple
Tried to encourage my partner to read it. He’s Belgian and not a native English speaker… He thought it was another language haha. I completely forgot how it was written! Beautiful book <3
@Elly it is in my top 3 most beloved books ?I read it at least once a year.
Have you and he watched the movie? It’s another favorite of mine, and though not a perfect version of the novel, I feel it captures the way the book made me feel ❤
Harry potter is banned
I am with Donna Clements, Fahrenheit 451.
HP was banned? By who?
I think some private Christian schools—or public schools in places where too many parents demanded it, stuff like that
I wish I could say I was surprised.
My parents wouldn’t let me read it when I was a kid. I think it was largely due to simply not knowing what the books were really about. They wanted to protect us from evil magic etc. It never really bothered me. They chose to raise us with the best belief system they knew and some times that meant they were over protective of stuff that was very mainstream. Years later when I did read it and explained the plot to my mom, she said had they actually sat down and read them themselves, we probably would have been allowed to read HP. I’m happy with the way it turned out though…I got to binge read the whole series for the first time in a couple of weeks. No waiting for books to be released ?
The Call of the Wild
@Maria-esther This was banned, too?
Oh god i never knew that HP is a banned book??… Where??
@Shilpi Mostly in Bible Belt states, but it happened in America. I am not sure about anywhere else.
@Donna oh okay… I did not know that
Yep. It was really bad.
Lolita
I think banned books are the ones that NEED to be read. Just an aside, when my kids were younger, I read all the books they were reading and if I didn’t like a book, we would discuss it and debate the good and the bad in the book. It worked out well in our house
Poison Wood Bible
Didn’t know this was banned. I have it in my TBR shelf.
What reason did they ban it?
Religious reasons. I believe someone, somewhere (in the US) felt it was defamatory to the Bible.
I didn’t know The Kite runner & The Catcher in the rye were banned when I read them. I love The Kite Runner more. ❤
To Kill a Mockingbird, The Grapes of Wrath, Fahrenheit 451, The Giver.
@Mary wait the Giver? What 9n earth for
Forever Amber
To Kill A mockingbird
There was a study I read that showed people that read Harry Potter books showed more empathy than people that did not.
To Kill A Mockingbird, The Bible, and the dictionary (yep, that one is on the list)
I saw that some pages were removed from the dictionary!
Life, by Keith Richards. You did say Band Book, right?
Angarey the short stories
HP is banned? I enjoyed Catcher in the Rye as a teen, but I don’t think it was still banned by then. Nor was Lady Chatterly’s Lover when I read it.
Harry Potter has been challenged in some US school districts because some parents contend it espouses witchcraft.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
THEY BANNED HARRY POTTER?!?!?
Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
I didn’t even know that HP was banned .. ..I enjoyed The book thief ,Farenheit 451,To kill a mockingbird & Catcher in the rye
HP was banned in the school libraries in some US states that are overtly ‘christian’ (read: hypocritical) because it glamorized witchcraft and ‘black’ magic therefore corrupting the morals of ‘christian’ children. These are probably the same states that insist that gun laws are never restricted and believe that Trump is a great man!
@Maria LOL! I can’t believe it!? There are more important things to be banned for the good of all of us,than to ban a interesting book… ? just saying..
Crazy world I guess..?
Lady Chatterly’s Lover – not because it is an especially great book but because at the time it was banned it was considered so incredibly immoral that anyone who read it would instantly become some sort of mindless, dribbling sex-maniac. Compare it nowadays to your average Mills and Boon sexy romance and the sex scenes are almost boring. What was considered so terrible at the time was that there was a scene in which Lady Chatterly did it ‘doggy style’ with the gardener and that was considered perverted.
All mine are mentioned above, but Ferenheit 451 has to be my favorite. It has to do with burning and banning books. And we’re headed into that abysmal practice again. History does indeed repeat itself.
What? Harry Potter is banned? Where??
Huck Finn. I learned about slavery and friendship. How who you are is not just the color of your skin or the circumstances you are born in.